The World’s 10 Most Disliked Airlines Revealed In Global Study

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LONDON — Flying commercially has never been a glamorous endeavor, but for American Airlines passengers, the experience seems especially tough. A new analysis revealing the airlines with the worst customer satisfaction in the world puts the Dallas-based carrier in first place, with passengers rating their experience a 2.9 out of 10 and the airline recording 11 serious safety and operational incidents.

Conclusions come as disappointments in air travel reach new heights around the world. Nearly one in four flights around the world are late and more than 30 million bags go missing every year, creating a storm of passenger dissatisfaction that many airlines seem unable or unwilling to address.

London-based Click Intelligence developed the Dissatisfaction Index by examining four key quality indicators: passenger service ratings on a scale of 1 to 10, Skytrax airline reviewer ratings ranging from 1 to 5 stars, normalized complaint search volume and safety scores. Airlines scored from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater passenger dissatisfaction.

American Airlines received a dissatisfaction score of 56 out of 100 in the ranking of the world's largest carriers. Despite connecting travelers to 350 destinations around the world and carrying 211 million passengers annually, the airline had some of the lowest passenger experience ratings in the study. Its safety record has increased passenger concerns: 11 major failures this is the highest figure among all carriers studied.

Low-cost carriers dominate complaints

Next to American Airlines, budget carrier Frontier Airlines came in second with a dissatisfaction score of 55. Carrying more than 33 million passengers annually to 105 destinations, Frontier had the lowest passenger experience rating of any airline studied, with just 2 out of 10. The airline also recorded five major incidents and received a mediocre three-star rating from airline reviewer Skytrax.

United Airlines ranked third for customer dissatisfaction, despite having one of the largest networks among the carriers analyzed. Carrying 173.6 million passengers annually to 373 destinations, United still failed to satisfy its customers, earning only a 3.3 out of 10 for passenger experience and three stars from Skytrax.

European and Asian carriers join the list

Air France came in fourth with 11 serious safety and operational incidents, tying American Airlines for the number of reported failures. France's flagship carrier, which serves 31.5 million passengers to 190 destinations, is also struggling with baggage handling, posting the second-highest online search rate for lost luggage with 281 requests per 100,000 passengers.

Irish budget giant Ryanair rounds out the top five with a dissatisfaction score of 51. Despite flying 184 million passengers annually to 234 destinations, the airline scored just 2.8 for passenger experience, receiving just three stars from Skytrax.

Other carriers that placed poorly in the top ten included AirAsia (sixth), Aeromexico (seventh), Scandian Airlines (eighth), Wizz Air (ninth) and British Airways (tenth). BA's inclusion was particularly noteworthy given its premium positioning. Carrying 46 million passengers annually to 200 destinations, the airline received only 6 out of 10 passenger ratings, while recording 10 accidents and industrial accidents. British Airways also leads all airlines in the number of lost baggage complaints, with approximately 320 online searches per 100,000 passengers.

When small problems become big grievances

According to James Owen, co-founder and director of Click Intelligence, airlines are constantly lowest rating shared a disturbing example of how they deal with service failures.

“Airlines with the worst customer satisfaction have a common pattern: They treat service problems as isolated incidents rather than as connected events that cause passenger frustration over time,” Owen said. “When an airline loses your bag, delays your flight, and then makes you wait for hours, each problem makes the others worse, turning small problems into major claims.”

Owen added that passengers judge an airline not just by whether problems arise, but also by how carriers respond when they do. Airlines at the bottom of the satisfaction rankings have failed to understand this fundamental aspect of customer service, continuing to treat each complaint as a separate issue rather than recognizing the cumulative effect of repeated failures on passenger trust and satisfaction.